FAQs for potential students

Fill in an application form and send it to us. You’ll need to give us the details of two people to be referees: a senior leader in your church and someone else as personal referee. This is because we want to be sure that Formation School is right for you as well as that you are right for Formation School.

Jesus calls lots of people who don’t ‘feel’ like leaders to make disciples of others. So whether you’re leading (or would like to lead at some point in the future) a 1-to-1, a small group (house group, cell group etc), a missional community, a youth group etc – it would benefit you in your ministry. Or maybe you are (or would like to be) a toddler group leader, a CAP befriender or debt coach, or simply be a more effective witness in your workplace – this course will help you too.

Could you ask your church leaders to release you from some responsibilities for this year so you can be further equipped for your roles?
If you’re a home group leader, why not send someone else in the group this year so that they are very well equipped to lead the group for you next year while you do Formation School? Why not suggest that the group supports you both to do the course – financially and by providing babysitting, etc.

Yes! To get the most out of Formation School, you really need to commit fully to the course. The five tracks compliment each other, and to get the most out of Formation School you need to attend all the sessions and be willing to contribute to discussions.

By law workplaces have to consider requests for flexible working, so ask if you could arrange your hours so you can leave early enough to arrive in time for the first session. If you have children, could you find someone to babysit for an hour before your spouse returns from work so that you can make it for the start?

Of course, we know that life throws up all kinds of things that interfere with our plans. So we understand that you may need to miss a session or arrive late occasionally. We would just ask that you commit to being there as much as you possibly can.

We have a suggested reading list and encourage students to read the core texts for each track, but how much you read is up to you. Throughout the year we encourage you to meet up with your mentor once a month, and there will be a talk to prepare, but apart from that there is no time commitment outside of the course hours.

There is a suggested reading list, including a key book for each track. You only need to buy what you want to, some students buy and read lots of the recommended books; some don’t read any! Quite a few students have bought Kindle editions which are usually cheaper, or have borrowed books from former students. We also try to bulk buy the core texts so that they are a bit cheaper!

We are happy for students to break down the fees to pay termly, or even monthly. It would also be worth asking if your church would be able to help pay for some of the course. If you’re a home group leader, how about your group contributing to the costs? If you are excited about the possibility of doing Formation School why not pray that God would provide the financial means for you to do the course?

Are there people in your small group who could help support you during Formation School by babysitting to free you up to do it? Could someone else in your family arrange flexible working hours for the year to enable you to come?

The Formation School evenings, and two of the Saturdays, take place at Above Bar Church, in the centre of Southampton. It is easily accessed from local bus and train routes. The building has two lifts, and has excellent wheelchair access. Four of the Saturdays will take place at other churches, but we ensure that all the venues we use will have good accessibility.

Come along and find out more! We’d love to welcome you one Tuesday and you can talk to the team and current students about the course and whether it would be suitable for you. Drop us a line if you’d like to visit.